CAMRI | Sonic Oppression, Echoes of Resistance and the Changing Soundscapes of Rio’s Favelas in the Build-Up to the Olympics

Sonic Oppression, Echoes of Resistance and the Changing Soundscapes of Rio’s Favelas in the Build-Up to the Olympics

A Research Paper by Andrea Medrado and Renata Souza, published by Journal of Radio & Audio Media

This article aims to explore the ways in which the transformations that Rio de Janeiro experienced prior to hosting the Olympics echo in the soundscapes of Favela da Maré. Here, we draw from an (auto)ethnographic approach, and combine theoretical perspectives from sound studies, auditory culture, and studies of activist media. Our research indicates that some of the authorities’ oppressive impositions on favela residents’ daily lives manifest precisely through the suppression of sounds. We would like to argue that activist media in Latin America can be better understood if situated in a complex set of daily rhythms.

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Photo by Rafaela Biazi on Unsplash

About Andrea Medrado

Andrea Medrado is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Media and Communication of the University of Westminster. She is also the Course Leader for the BA Digital Media and the leader for the Cultural Identities and Social Change theme at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). Her research focuses on digital media activism and artivism as tools for social change in the Global South and on creative and participatory approaches to analysing marginalised communities’ information security needs and everyday engagements with artificial intelligence (AI). Her book Media Activism, Artivism and the Fight Against Marginalisation in the Global South was published by Routledge in 2023. She has also published in leading academic journals and contributed to several edited book collections. Andrea is currently the Vice President of IAMCR, the largest international association in the field of media and communication.